China and Germany Hold Trade Talks Ahead of Brussels Negotiations

China's Commerce Minister held a video call with his German counterpart days before crucial talks with Brussels, according to a statement released by the Chinese side on Monday. The two officials "exchanged opinions on the Sino-German and Sino-European economic and trade relations," the short Chinese statement said. The German side has not released its own statement and did not respond to the South China Morning Post's request for comment. The call comes amid a reported plan to shut China out of the EU market. No further details on the content of the discussion were provided by either side.